Free Murder in Misery (Spook Squad) by Ashley K Broome

just tell me that it’s not wrong to be who I am and that it is perfectly okay to be different? Because I don’t feel like it right now mom.”
    “You know that you are perfect the way you are and if anyone and I mean anyone disagrees,” Maria slid an evil eye towards Jaime. “Then they don’t know what they are missing out on.”
    “Do you really have to wear your gun in here?” Jaime’s eyes were glued to the weapon just like Gordon’s had been in the hallway. “It isn’t as if there is going to be someone jumping out to commit a crime in your mother’s kitchen.”
    “Do you really have to be here?” Keegan shot back and looked straight at her mom . “Can I just pick up that gumbo that you promised me and I’ll get out of your hair.”
    “What’s wrong honey?” Maria asked softly as she moved to the freezer t o pull out the food she had prepared a few days earlier.
    “One of the guys at work found out what I am. Nothing big, you know. It just divided the SIU and homicide even further than the two were originally.” Keegan rubbed at her eyes.
    “Well you’re not really a detective Keegan. You just consult.” Jaime interjected and Keegan saw red. She pulled her badge off her belt and set it on the counter.
    “Do you see what it says on there?” Keegan pointed at the blue banner across the shield proclaiming her a detective. “It says detective because that is what I am. I went through the same training and the same tests that every other detective went through. So don’t you dare assume that I am not a detective just because I’m not like you.”
    Keegan snatched the badge back up and ignored the sting of tears behind her eyes. “I shouldn’t have even bothered coming. I had a feeling this wasn’t my best idea. I’ll talk to you later Ma.”
    She didn’t even remember to grab the plastic bowl filled with frozen gumbo. She left it sitting on the counter along with twin stunned looks from Gordon and Jaime.
     
     

Rather than going into work the next day, Keegan did a bit of background checking at her house before hitting the streets. She didn’t get much out of the neighbors about the Barrs. All she could wrangle out of them was general information that any neighbor would tell the police that lived in a suburb.
    The Barrs were a wonderful couple. They never disturbed any one. They kept their lawn clean and they waved to any neighbor passing by. Other than that? The Barrs kept to themselves. For good reason too. Subdivisions didn’t typically allow supernaturals to move in unless they agreed to disclose the nature of their abilities. Sometimes you just got lucky and there wasn’t a requirement to do so but the home owner’s association was a bitch about the tiniest of details.
    Her first stop after checking in on the neighbors and getting nowhere was to head over to talk to Mason Mills. The sub shop that he frequented, Tanked, was nearly empty. The staff puttered around trying to find something to occupy their time with and Mason sat with a beer in hand staring up at the television mounted above the counter replaying last night’s football game.
    “What can I get you Miss?”
    Keegan sat down and eyed the waiter’s name tag, “I could use a cold glass of water and a roast beef hoagie, Tommy.”
    “Coming right up,” Tommy squirreled away to the kitchen and Keegan used the fact that it was just Mason and her self sitting a seat away from each other to her advantage. If you sit close enough to a person they’re bound to take notice of you and that’s exactly what she wanted to happen.
    It wasn’t long before Mason shifted in his seat uncomfortably after he scented her. He turned to look at Keegan before he gave up with trying not to look to obvious and turned completely towards her. “What’s a necromancer doing around these parts?”
    Keegan pulled her badge off her belt and slid it over the counter to where he could see it. Mason started to stand but Keegan laid a hand on his